John 21:18 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

I'm telling you the truth — when you were young, you got yourself ready and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you're old, you'll stretch out your hands, and someone else will get you ready and take you where you don't want to go.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

Youth gives you freedom to choose your path, but age and calling might lead you places you never planned to go.